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Barclays Ends Direct Financing for New Oil and Gas Projects

Barclays Ends Direct Financing for New Oil and Gas Projects

UK-based bank Barclays will no longer directly finance new oil and gas projects, and will require its energy sector clients to produce transition plans or decarbonization strategies by the beginning of next year, according to a new “Climate Change Statement” released by the bank. Alongside its new energy policies, Barclays also released a new transition finance framework, outlining its criteria…

State Street launches ESG emerging market bond fund

State Street launches ESG emerging market bond fund

State Street Global Advisors has launched the Article 8 State Street Emerging Markets ESG Hard Currency Government Bond Index fund, which invests in emerging market government bonds. The fund, which deals in USD-denominated bonds, began with an initial investment of $50m (£39.6m) and follows the J.P. Morgan ESG EMBI Global Diversified Index, which puts emphasis on issuers ranking higher on…

ESG assets to surpass $40trn by 2030 despite challenging market

ESG assets to surpass $40trn by 2030 despite challenging market

Global ESG assets surpassed $30trn in 2022 and are on track to surpass $40trn by 2030 to reach over 35% of projected $140trn assets under management, according to the latest ESG report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI). The report said the ESG market is set to mature and align with global regulation by the end of this decade. This is despite…

Green Dream with GIB AM’s Desai: Companies in emerging Asia understand improving ESG ratings is ‘potent’ for returns

Green Dream with GIB AM’s Desai: Companies in emerging Asia understand improving ESG ratings is ‘potent’ for returns

Companies in emerging Asia have low ESG ratings but an increasing willingness and receptiveness for change, according to GIB Asset Management’s Kunal Desai. Crucially, he says in this Green Dream video interview, there is also an understanding that this “can be a potent source of shareholder returns”. Desai, manager of the GIB AM Emerging Markets Active Engagement fund, discusses the shift…

Engaging with investment trusts on human rights

Engaging with investment trusts on human rights

To achieve net zero by 2050, investment in renewable energy must triple by 2030, reaching around $4trn (£3.2trn). However, as the renewables industry expands at pace, so too have concerns about its social impact. Allegations of forced labour in solar supply chains, child labour in battery mineral sourcing, and indigenous rights violations in wind farms highlight the need for a…

UK Fiduciary Duty Review Puts Doubts to Bed

Climate and other sustainability-linked themes are integral to pension trustees’ investment decisions, the FMLC has determined.  A new review of pension trustees’ fiduciary duties and the extent to which they can account for climate and sustainability themes has “broadened the frame” and provided much-needed clarity, industry experts have said.  The review was promised by the UK government as part of…

Voyager Ventures Raises $100 Million for Climate Tech VC Fund

Voyager Ventures Raises $100 Million for Climate Tech VC Fund

Decarbonization-focused VC investor Voyager Ventures announced that it has raised $100 million for Voyager Partners Select I, its second venture fund targeting investments in climate technology startups. Founded in 2021 by Sierra Peterson and Sarah Sclarsic, Voyager Ventures invests in early-stage climate technology companies advancing global decarbonization solutions for sectors including mobility, energy, materials, food, the built environment, analytics, industrial…

EU lawmakers agree on proposal to regulate ESG ratings providers

On 5 February 2024, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement for a regulation on ESG rating activities (the “Proposed EU Regulation“). The Proposed EU Regulation differs in certain respects from the version that was agreed upon by the Council of the EU in December 2023. The Proposed EU Regulation has not substantively changed…

EU Lawmakers Agree to Delay Sustainability Reporting Standards for Specific Sectors and non-EU Companies by 2 Years

EU Lawmakers Agree to Delay Sustainability Reporting Standards for Specific Sectors and non-EU Companies by 2 Years

Lawmakers in the European Parliament and Council announced today that they have reached a provisional agreement on a directive to delay the adoption of standards for companies to provide sector-specific sustainability disclosures and for sustainability reporting from companies outside of the EU under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). While the deal, aimed at providing more time for companies to…

COP28 insights mini-series

Our mini Q&A series followed COP28, providing you with a quick and easy way to see how the discussions evolved. Our coverage highlighted significant and recent developments from a legal perspective, allowing you to assess the impact of these on your business.  View the mini Q&A series at Mayerbrown.com. The post COP28 insights mini-series appeared first on Eye on ESG.